No one was injured in an early morning fire Sunday morning that destroyed the home of Robert Lewis at 66 East Walker Dr. in Dover.

Walker, who has a prosthetic leg, said he noticed what he thought was a fire just before Jordan Segovia, 17, knocked loudly on his door between 4:30 and 5 a.m.

“I couldn’t sleep that night and I had been reading in bed,” Lewis said of the moments leading up to Segovia banging on the door. “I decided to get up and watch television. As I was putting on my shorts, I noticed a bright red reflection at the other end of my house. I was going to check on it to see if it was indeed a fire and that’s when I heard someone banging on my door.”

Lewis said he and Segovia went to the garage and noticed the fire on the outside of the home at that end. He said the two tried to extinguish the fire with a water hose and when the fire began to quickly spread, the pair drove both of Lewis’ vehicles out of the garage.

“I think I would have made it out of the fire even if Jordan hadn’t knocked on my door,” Lewis said. “I was already awake and alerted to what I thought was a fire. Without his help, though, I would have lost my vehicles. I’m so grateful to him for helping me.”

Lewis said instead of focusing on what was lost, he was focused on what he still had —his life and his beloved Jack Russell Terrier, Cracker.

He did have some advice for others.

“Check your insurance policy,” Lewis said. “I hadn’t updated my policy in more than 10 years and it was outdated. I was under insured.”

Lewis said without the insurance money to rebuild, he will move back to Oklahoma to live with family.

Dover Police Chief Rodney Pfeifer said that the events surrounding Segovia driving by in time to be of assistance to Lewis is proof that God works in mysterious ways.

Thirty minutes prior to arriving at the residence of Lewis, Segovia was pulled over by Cpl. Perry Whitbey with the Dover Marshal’s Office and issued a speeding ticket.

“If Jordan had been any earlier coming home, he wouldn’t have seen the fire,” Pfeifer said. “The fire spread quickly and Mr. Lewis is lucky to be alive. Jordan showed great courage by stopping to assist. He is definitely a hero in my book.”

Lewis echoed Pfeifer’s appraisal of Segovia.

“He is a hero in my book,” Lewis said of Segovia. “I want to thank him for helping me. I just thank the Lord that I’m still here.”

Detective Todd Steffy with the DMO said his department is working closely with the Arkansas State Police and Dover fire department to investigate the cause of the fire, but could speculate as to the cause at this time.

Steffy said evidence was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab.

“We are looking at all provabilities and interviewing witnesses,” Steffy said. “This is a joint investigation and we want to thank the State Police for their assistance in this matter. We also want to thank Jordan for showing such bravery.”

Whitbey was the first officer on the scene and after witnessing Seqovia’s heroism, decided to give him a warning instead of a ticket.